Through Alcohol Cleansed Eyes
by Bertle
Summary: Alcohol can have the power to allow you to see things that were hidden before. This is a lesson Squall and Rinoa's daughter is being forced to learn. Better batten down the hatches; she's a Leonhart and she's not accepting this without a fight! **On temporary hiatus while I figure out what comes next, but not abandoned!**
1. A Very Good Reason

**AN: Hey everyone! This is just a little plot bunny that I couldn't get to leave me alone. I have most of this story mapped out; all I have left to decide is how I want it to end. I can't see it being too long- probably about fifteen chapters. This is set 27 years post-game and it will not be centered around the characters from the game, though they will be present. And there will be adult Squinoa! Also, I think it will end up being pretty light. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. I promise to update stat- the next chapter is just about done!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8. Or any of them, for that matter :).**

There was a good reason for why he was doing this. Really, there was. There had to be, because otherwise he would have been admitted to an asylum for somehow managing to get into this situation without a good reason. The trouble was, lying bloodied and unarmed in his boxers, staring up into the angry face of a T-Rexaur who was intent on having him for dinner, he was having trouble remembering what that reason was.

He remembered lounging in his dorm room with his roommate and a couple of their buddies, swigging a couple illegally-smuggled-into-Garden beers. He remembered kicking ass in Call of Duty on his roommate's illegally-smuggled-into-Garden-via -mail-by-his-mother Xbox. He remembered a couple of guys sneaking into the room and proudly (and loudly) whipping out the really-super-illegally-smuggled-into-Garden vodka. After that though, his memories started getting a little less clear. There were vague recollections of his roommate trying to chug a ketchup bottle, watching his friend do a strip tease on his bed, and planning how to turn the cadet dorm hallways into a slip-n-slide. Then there were the even vaguer recollections of his neighbor from across the hall accusing him of being a cocky asshole and saying there was _no way_ he'd be able to take on a T-Rexaur unarmed. He remembered being so confident he agreed to do it right then and there, and he'd even do it without any clothes on, damn it! And he knew that in his inebriated mind, his brain cleared by the cleansing power of unmixed vodka, he must have had a moment of clarity where he had a _very good reason_ for why this dare was possible. Unfortunately, the actual sight of said T-Rexaur effectively sobered him up, better than any water, bread, and mother combination could ever do. And now, in his clouded, sober mind, he could no longer remember why it was again that this was a good idea.

His only thought as the T-Rexaur's grimy jaws approached his face, aside from the obvious, _I wonder if Commander Leonhart will give me a funeral if I'm partially digested and under the influence of illegal substances_, was that he was certain there was a good reason for this situation.

_Really_.

His eyes closed and he waited for the dark, slimy end to come. There was an explosion in the background and he was certain that that must be it- he was dead now. But he didn't feel dead yet. Warily, he raised one eyelid a sliver, ready to clamp it shut again if he saw something horrible like reptilian teeth, the grim reaper, or his grandma's ghost. What he did see, however, made his eyes fly open in shock. Chunks of ice from a blizzaga spell were flying everywhere and shattering when they hit the ground. The T-Rexaur was roaring and raging in agony, meal forgotten, and he belatedly remembered the topic of Level 1- Lesson 4 Cadet Training: T-Rexaurs are weak against ice. Right. He was sure that had been part of his plan.

Through his clouded vision, he saw what must have been a dozen blades appear out of nowhere. They flew into the air and circled the T-Rexaur as though they had a mind of their own. And then, as one, they simultaneously stabbed into the monster's neck. A roar shook the training center as the monstrous beast cried out in anger and pain.

Suddenly, the T-Rexaur stopped shrieking and the lack of noise shocked him more than the cries themselves had. The giant reptile swayed on the spot for a second before toppling over with an almighty bang, fast asleep in the grass.

By now, the severity of his wounds had begun to take over. His vision was darkening and he struggled to turn his head to find the caster. From his position on the ground, he caught a glimpse of black toenails, each with a single, sparkly white diamond imbedded in them, on pale feet tucked into four-inch tall, strappy, red stiletto heels. He followed the pale skin up the curve of her calves to find a mid-thigh, black denim skirt with two identical, red, diamond encrusted belts crossing over it to form a bright X across the darkness. Somewhere deep in the back of his mind (probably in the same drawer his genius plan had been stashed in) he recognized that look, but by then his mind was drifting and his neck refused to turn any further. He saw her knees bend and then he gave in to the growing impulse to close his eyes.


	2. Anger and Underwear

**AN: Hey again everyone! Just wanted to cover this in advance- I realize the girl (don't worry, she'll get a name next chapter haha) is wearing really innapropriate clothes to be fighting in. In my defense, I wanted her to stand out as different in the Garden which was no easy feat since nobody in that building wears anything normal lol. Also, here's a shout out to the 21 people who read the first chapter! I hope this one lives up to your expectations! I have no reviews yet though which makes me sad lol because I have no idea if you guys were actually reading or accidentally clicked on this when trying to find something else ;). So if you are actually reading would you mind leaving a review (it can be blank- no worries) just so that I know you're there? Thank you! And now onto the chapter!**

The first thing he noticed was the pounding of his head. Next, was the groggy lack of awareness. Finally, the startling realization that he was alive. He jolted upright when his memories came flooding back to him and regretted it instantly when there was a wave of nausea that forced him to groan and lay back against something solid behind him.

"What. The hell. Were you._ Thinking?_"

His eyes flew open at the words, his entire body screaming that the tone implied violence to come, and landed on a teenage girl sitting across from him. Naturally, as a teenage boy, his eyes started at her feet and did a slow swoop upwards of her body. She was clearly the caster from the night before, judging by the clothes on her bottom half and his fuzzy memories. Now that he could see all of her, he realized that her top half was just as extravagantly dressed as the bottom. She wore a stretchy, tight-fitted red top. The neck line was low but not ridiculously so and there was one ruffled sleeve on her left shoulder. Her right shoulder was bare. Around her neck hung a simple chain with two rings on it: one seemed to be fairly plain and the other was rather bulky. Her arms were completely bare except for a single ring on the index finger of her right hand which held a huge red diamond. Her finger nails matched her toes: black, with a small white diamond embedded in the end corner of each. She had large but plain silver hoop earrings and at her hip was a basic gunblade scabbard with the deadly weapon sheathed inside. There was a faint ringing every time she shifted her weight, which led him to believe there were more weapons hanging behind her. Her hands were bloodied and there were a few blood smears on her shirt which confused him- she didn't seem injured- until he glanced down at his own body and realized his own wounds had been healed.

Oh. The blood was his. She must have healed him.

There was a momentary rush of gratitude which dissipated immediately when his eyes reached her face. Not that her face was anything to laugh at, on the contrary, he was sure that under normal circumstances she would actually be quite attractive. She had a narrow, heart-shaped face with a straight nose, thin lips, and curved eyebrows. Her eyes were ice blue and her hair was pitch black, cut to sweep across her face in such a way that made her skin seem fairer and her cheekbones higher. All in all, there was a distinct dangerous feline quality to her face that many would consider attractive. Unfortunately, any appeal he might have had for her was completely destroyed by the expression on her face. Her fingers were tapping a harsh beat on the bare skin of her arms where they were crossed and she seemed completely unconcerned with the gore staining her skin. She was, to put it mildly, royally pissed.

He watched her warily in case she suddenly lunged for his throat or something, and started the agonizing process of stretching his sore limbs. Muscles always got so sore after cure magic was used on them.

If possible, her glare got even angrier when he didn't answer her question. "Well?" she asked. One syllable- pointed, sharp.

His irritation snapped and he gave her a look before saying in a falsely sweet voice, "Hey, my name's Clay, it's _so_ nice to meet you. What's your name?" The mask fell like a curtain. "I nearly died. Give me two seconds before you start ripping me to shreds. Geeze, are you always this cheerful when you meet new people?"

If looks could kill, Clay would have been already making the long walk to the Otherworld. As it was, even though he knew she couldn't literally kill him with her eyes, he was not wholly unconcerned since he saw her hand twitch towards her gunblade.

"No, only when I meet complete _idiots_ who don't know enough to keep themselves alive!" she snarled.

Clay felt a slight twist of remorse. She _had_ saved his life after all. And maybe what he did was a little stupid. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by her leaping to her feet and shouting.

"Seriously, what the _hell_ were you thinking! What, you were just bored one night so you thought, 'Hey, I have a great idea, why don't I get _drunk_ and go face a _T-Rexaur_ in the middle of the _night_ when _no one's_ around to help, completely _unarmed_ and wearing only my _underwear_!"

She took a deep breath.

"So you nearly _die_ which is really no surprise to anyone and then you have to go and get _me_ involved by crying and whimpering like a little baby lying in a puddle of your own blood and shit until I finally come to see what all the fuss is about! And then _I_ have to risk my own life fighting a pissed T-Rexaur by myself in an attempt to save your pathetic, wasted little life and once I _finally_ kill the effing thing I then have to _drag_ your body to the secret area so that you don't get killed by something _else_ while I try and save you with the magic _I_ took the time to hunt down, draw, and junction, and after _all that,_ you have the nerve to wake up and _give me attitude_?"

She was shrieking at a pitch he was sure only chocobos would be able to hear by the end and he blinked once in shock before slowly feeling the anger surge up in him as well. She knew nothing about him or his situation and she had no right to speak to him this way. Every instinct in him was screaming at him to defend himself. He leapt to his feet as well.

"Look, I never asked for your help, okay? You decided to help me of your own free will and frankly, if I'd known that I would have gotten _this_ reaction I would have told you not to bother! You're not my mother- I don't even know who you are. You know nothing about me or what I was doing there, so don't go making assumptions! This is my life and I can make my own decisions. I don't appreciate you trying to tell me what to do with it! If you wanted to help me, great, that's nice, but that was _your_ choice so don't get mad at me for something you decided to do!"

She raised one eyebrow sarcastically. "So you're saying that I should have just left you to die?"

"No, I'm saying you should have just left me to deal with it myself! I had a plan to handle it just fine! I didn't need- or ask- for your help!" Well it wasn't a complete lie… he was sure he _did_ have a plan…

She laughed. It wasn't a happy sound. "You had a plan. _Plan_. Seriously? What was it, lie there and hope you look so pathetic that the T-Rexaur doesn't think you'll be worth eating? That's just-"

She cut herself off with a deep breath and then her voice took on a sweet, innocent tone that Clay didn't trust for one second. "You know what? You're totally right. I don't know _what_ I was thinking trying to help. A big, strong guy like you, I should've realized you could handle anything. And just to show you how sorry I really am, I'm going to take _this_," she twirled a large blade with serrated edges in her hand, "with me. You see, I was _planning_ on leaving this with you so that you would be able to fight your way past all the grats to get out of here, but now I realize how silly I've been. Leaving you with a weapon would just be a stain on your honor!"

She smiled sweetly and he gulped. "I'm just going to take off now, have fun!" With that she shot him one last sugar-coated smile and practically skipped out of the secret area, leaving him to sneak past hordes of grats in his underwear.

**Please R&R :). Thanks for reading!**


	3. Bad Luck

**AN: This chapter is for Yunagirlamy for being the first person to follow any of my writing on this account. She added this story to her alerts and it definitely helped motivate me to write quicker knowing that somebody would actually be informed to read it. So special thanks to her!**

**Disclaimer: I realized that I forgot to leave a disclaimer last chapter. Oops. I didn't own FF8 then, and I still don't own it now. How sad :(.**

It had been two weeks and 3 days (not that he was counting) since the incident-never-to-be-mentioned-again-unless-bragging-to-his-friends-about-how-easy-it-was (yes, he knew it was a mouthful; he'd taken to shortening it to INTBMAUBTHFAHEIW in his thoughts) and Clay had successfully managed to put the entire situation out of his mind, telling himself that the only other person who knew about it was the girl and considering the population of Garden- 9 800- he would probably never see her again. He had eventually decided never to think about it again if he could at all help it.

And so it was that Tuesday morning rolled around and he found himself in History class doing what it was he was always doing- attempting to construct a perfect paper Ragnarok out of an old failed test. It was just his luck that, at the exact moment when he had _finally_ created a cone with the exact proportional dimensions of the nose, an irritated voice said loudly, "Mr. Riley?"

He glanced up and met the condescending eyes of his rather robust teacher, Instructor Walter (or as he was known by the students, Instructor Walrus because of his immense mustache and size) who was clearly waiting for him to say something.

"What?"

Walrus glared. "I believe the words you're looking for are 'pardon me', Mr. Riley. And I'd like you to answer my question, please."

Clay refrained from rolling eyes. "Could you repeat the question please, _sir_?"

"I asked for the date of the inauguration of the third president of Esthar." Walrus did not look impressed. Clay didn't particularly blame him, since he had absolutely no idea what the answer was.

"Umm…" he floundered in his mind, trying to find a date that stuck out whilst ignoring the eyes of his classmates on him, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Clay let out a relieved sigh at the distraction and began to flick through his neighbor's notes (he hadn't bothered to take any of his own) frantically, trying to find the date in question.

Walrus was significantly less pleased with the interruption than Clay was. He wasn't known for his patience. In fact, he wasn't really known for anything besides his mustache. He barked at the door, "What do you want?"

Clay heard the door creak open, but he didn't bother to look up until he heard the newcomer start to speak. Once he did, his head flew up so quickly his neck cracked and when he saw her, he cursed his own luck. Seriously, a 1 in 9 800 chance actually occurred? That was like… 0.0001%! What the hell?

And sure enough, standing in the doorway, clutching a yellow paper in her hands, stood the mystery girl from the INTBMAUBTHFAHEIW.

She hadn't looked at him; she hadn't looked at anyone. She had just adjusted one of the dozen daggers hanging behind her and had said in a polite tone, "I'm sorry to interrupt, Instructor, but I've been sent to join your class. If now's not a good time I can always come back tomorrow."

Walrus' mood changed so fast he gave Clay whiplash. Suddenly he smiled a sly smile and smoothed his mustache. His voice had an oily quality to it that just screamed 'sucking up' as he said, "Kitiara! No, no, you're not interrupting at all. It would be an honor to have you, my dear." He ripped the paper from her hands and signed it before she even had time to blink.

Clay was merely flabbergasted. He had never heard Walrus call one of them by his or her first name, let alone 'my dear'. Who the hell _was_ this girl?

He turned to his roommate in the seat to his left to get his opinion, but the words died in his throat when he saw his friend's expression. He was ogling the girl in obvious shock, his mouth hanging open, and his eyes so wide Clay was concerned they might fall out of his head.

He glanced up again in time to see the girl smile sweetly and say, "Thank you, sir."

Walrus laughed overly-loudly. "Instructor Walter, please Kitiara." He gave her a smile that was so wide it made Clay want to run to the bathroom and puke. The girl seemed to be having a similar reaction. Her smile faltered and her shoulders tightened as if she was highly uncomfortable with Walrus' reaction, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"I take it your final exam in Level 11 went well then?" He asked her.

She shrugged. "It was alright. There was definite room for improvement, but Instructor Hall felt I was ready to move on."

Walrus laughed deeply. "Always so modest. I'll bet you actually set a new record in the test results." He turned to the class and gestured at her conspiratorially. "Kitiara has been flying through her schooling. She's two years younger than all of you, and already up to your level! She passed two full Levels last year! And the instructors have nothing but good things to say about her! Now let's see…"

Walrus began looking around for a place to put her and Clay crossed his fingers under his desk and clenched his eyes shut, silently mouthing a prayer to Hyne that she would not be sent to the empty seat on his right.

After the luck he'd been having, though, he should have been expecting it.

"Hmm… let's see. Why don't you go take a seat next to Mr. Riley over there? Maybe if you're close to him some of your ability will rub off." He laughed too loudly again. Clay cursed Hyne using every swear word he knew.

He saw the exact moment that the girl noticed and recognized him. Her face went from pleasant to shock to anger so fast it was like watching an etch-a-sketch. Her eyes became hard and she took her seat, pointedly ignoring him. Clay rolled his eyes at her dramatics, but otherwise ignored her too.

Walrus was still grinning like an idiot and Clay hoped that at the very least he might be in a good enough mood to have forgotten that he had asked him a question. Really, by now he should have known better.

"Well then, where were we... oh yes! Mr. Riley was about to _attempt_ to tell us the date of inauguration of the third president of Esthar, weren't you, Mr. Riley?" Clay glared at him and tried to ignore the girl next to him smirking. He opened his mouth and prepared to spew some bullshit when…

The bell rang to signal the end of class. Clay breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Hmph. I still expect your answer in tomorrow's class, Mr. Riley!" Walrus shouted over the noise of students clamoring from the classroom.

Clay pretended not to hear him as he gathered his books and grinned at his friend to his left. "Talk about saved by the bell, eh?"

His friend, however, was not interested. He stood quickly and pushed past Clay to pick up a pen that had rolled out of the girl's binder. Even though she was perfectly capable of getting it herself, and indeed, only inches away, he still snatched it up and held it out to her, a wide smile on his lips.

She smiled back, and there was a touch of shyness to it. "Thanks."

He grinned at her like an idiot. "No problem. You're Kitiara, right? Welcome to Level 12 Cadet training. My name's Tom."

"Kit, please, only instructors actually call me by my full name." She reached out to shake her hand and her smile became a little more genuine. "So, is he always so moody?"

Tom laughed. "'Fraid so." A group of Clay's friends immediately crowded around them and Tom proceeded to introduce them. Eventually, he reached Clay. "And last but not least, this is my roommate-"

"Clay, I know. I'm afraid to say I've already had the misfortune of meeting him," she interrupted, and proceeded to glare at Clay.

Clay returned her glare. "That's called luck, sweetheart. Geeze, once Walrus finds out about your poor vocabulary I don't think he'll be quite so eager to kiss your shoes."

"And once he finds out about your terrible attacks he'll be ready to throw you out of the class. Oh wait, I forgot, he already is!"

The other guys were watching this exchange with their mouths hanging open, eyes flicking back and forth like they were watching a ping pong match. Tom interrupted. "Wait a minute. How do you two know each other again?"

Kitiara's gaze flicked to him and she smiled sweetly- something Clay had already learnt to be worried about. "Oh didn't he tell you?" Her grin became so wide she resembled a Cheshire cat. "I saved his worthless life when he decided to battle a T-Rexaur drunk and unarmed and then he flipped out on me for not just leaving him there to be eaten."

Tom gaped at Clay. Cory, their neighbor from across the hall, piped up. "I thought you said you took out that T-Rexaur by yourself, Clay?"

Clay winced and Kitiara's jaw dropped for a second and her eyes flashed to him before she turned to Cory and said, with obvious suppressed laughter, "Nope! He needed a _girl_ to come save him." She turned to Clay. "Looks like you've got some explaining to do."

She smiled the exact same smile she had when she left him in the secret area and Clay felt a wave of hatred so strong he had to suppress the urge to reach for his rifle. She ignored his struggle and turned back to his friends. "Well, this has been fun, but I've got to take off. I'll see you around, guys." And then she skipped from the classroom.

Clay gave her back the finger and then turned back around, only to find five guys bearing down on him. "Woah, watch it! What are you guys looking at?"

Tom gaped at him. "You're kidding me, right?"

Another of his friends, Kivan, spoke up, his voice ecstatic. "You actually know her? Dude! Why did you keep this to yourself!"

"We've totally got an in with her and her friends now!" Cory said, and high-fived Kivan.

Xan began to wave his hands, pretending to be gazing into a crystal ball. "What's that? Oh! I see all of us, surrounded by the hottest babes at Garden…"

Clay threw his hands out in front of him, palms up. "Woah, woah woah! Slow down there. First of all, we don't have an 'in'. In case you didn't notice, she hates my guts. And trust me, the feelings mutual."

Luke cut in, saying, "Dude, it doesn't matter if she hates you. As long as she _knows_ you, it gives _us_ a reason to talk to her!"

Clay ignored him. "And second of all, why do you guys even _want_ to hang out with her? She's a total bitch! Okay, so she's kinda attractive, but trust me, her looks are not worth the personality."

His friends stared at him like he was insane.

"What?" he asked, feeling like he was missing something totally obvious.

Tom looked at him for a second and then said, "Clay, man, don't you know who that is?"

Clay snorted. "Of course I don't. I only transferred from Trabia like, six months ago. And in case you haven't noticed, there are like ten thousand people here. Anyways, why should I?"

Tom laid a supporting hand on his shoulder. "Clay. That's Kitiara _Leonhart_."

Clay stared at him in disbelief, jaw unhinged.

"You mean- you're saying- that was-" his tongue wouldn't cooperate. "She's Commander Leonhart and Sorceress Rinoa's _daughter_?"

Tom nodded.

Clay stared.

"Oh Hyne. I'm fucking dead."

**Bonus points to anybody who knows where Kitiara's name came from :). Double bonus points to anyone who knows where Kivan/Xan's names came from as well!**

**Three chapters in and I still have no reviews :(. Which makes me sad :(. See how pathetic and cute I am? Doesn't it inspire you to review? Even a teensy tiny one-word one? I'll send you happy vibes through the internet if you review!  
...Wait a minute. That might have just lost me some reviews. Forgot that last part lol!**

**How about: Please review and you will make my day :).**


	4. Sausages and Eye Sex

**This chapter is for Hidden By Shadow, for being the very first person to review my fanfiction writing :D. Also for the uncanny predictions left in the review haha.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own FF8. Sad, I know.**

"_Please_ don't make me do this!" Clay was begging, and he was alright with that fact. He had tried threatening, screaming, and reasoning, and it was getting him nowhere. He was certainly not above begging as a last resort if it would get him out of this.

Kivan didn't even turn around. "No. And stop begging. It makes you look pathetic."

Clay pouted.

Xan glanced back at him. "Seriously dude, you'd think we were dragging you to your execution or something. All we're asking you to do is sit in the cafeteria for a couple of minutes. You do it all the time when you're stuffing your face with hot dogs."

"That's totally different! They're delicious! Orgasmic! _This_ is unbearable!" He tugged uselessly on Kivan and Xan's grips on the sleeves of his brown leather jacket. He was quite literally being dragged through the Garden's hallways by his wrists.

Tom glanced at him from his right where he was blocking him in, preventing any possible escape. "Come on, man. Just think of it as a favor to us. It may lead to several _orgasmic_ nights for us, as well. Think of it as paying your debt for all those times we bought you hot dogs."

Clay gaped blankly at him. "You're comparing _sex_ to _hot dogs_?" He stumbled as he attempted to dig his heels into the smooth flooring and Cory shoved him forward from his position at the rear before piping up himself.

"Of course. They both involve cylinders slipping through buns, after all. Besides, I'd say you like hot dogs about as much as we like pretty girls." Then he realized what he had said and smirked at the unintended double entendre.

Clay glared at him. "What are you saying about me?"

Luke grinned from his left. "He's saying that your obsession with 'hot dogs' and your incredible reluctance to speak to hot girls inevitably leads us to reach certain conclusions about your sexuality."

Clay's voice nearly squeaked he responded so fast. "I _am not_ gay!" He shouted, and a couple of seeDs walking by turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

Tom waved them off with a sympathetic, "Just ignore him." He turned back to Clay. "Alright, so if you're not gay, prove it. Come with us to talk to the girls."

Clay groaned. "Why can't I just go make out with one and be done with it?"

Tom shook his head, grinning. "Nope. It's gotta be this. So are you in?"

"Fine," Clay muttered, looking extremely sullen.

"Now that that's settled," they reached the cafeteria doors and Kivan turned to them, "let's get this show on the road."

One by one they moved their fists into the center of their little circle and grinned. Clay groaned. And then they turned and entered the cafeteria.

A blonde haired, blue eyed girl noticed their approach first. She not-so-subtly nudged the girl next to her, who in turn nudged Kit who was next to her. Kit glanced up and saw the approaching guys. She smiled a bit of a shy smile.

"Hey again Kit. Fancy seeing you here," Tom told her, grinning.

Immediately all of Kit's friends turned to stare at her and she flushed dark red. "Hi Tom," she muttered, pointedly not looking at her friends.

"Well, well, well," the blonde spoke up, her eyebrows raised as she examined Kit, "what else _haven't_ you been telling us?"

Kit muttered something incomprehensible at the table.

The blonde rolled her eyes and glanced up at Tom with a large smile. "Well since Kit does not seem to be jumping to introduce us, I guess I'll do it. My name's Katie. And this is Liia, Ava, and Harper," she pointed at each girl in question as she spoke.

Tom grinned back at her and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It's great to meet you. I'm Tom and this is Kivan, Xan, Clay, Cory, and Luke." He gestured vaguely behind him, too focused on keeping eye contact with the blue-eyed beauty in front of him to really pay attention to his introductions.

"So," Katie tilted her head coyly to one side and coiled her hair around her index finger, "what brings you guys to our humble corner of the cafeteria?"

Tom ran his hand slowly through his hair, effectively disheveling it. "Clay and Kit apparently had some kind of run in before and he hasn't stopped going on about her since," well it wasn't exactly a lie… "So when he saw you guys in the caf he couldn't help but go and say hello."

Kit's eyes flickered to Clay and she raised one eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Clay snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, honey. He's confusing the word 'hello' with 'hate'."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that sounds more like you. Are you always this obnoxious?"

"No, only when I- OW!"

Tom stepped on Clay's toes pointedly, cutting off his comment. He continued his conversation with Katie as though his obvious lie had not been unveiled. "It really is a shame that we're only meeting now," he told her with a charming smile, "I only wish we had met Kit sooner."

Katie was definitely charmed. "Why don't you guys have a seat? It would be good to get to know the people Kit's apparently been spending so much time with."

The guys began to take their seats and Kit and Clay stared at their respective friends, horrified.

"You can't be serious-"

"I'm just gonna head out-"

Kit got a sharp nudge to the side and Clay a swift kick to the shin.

Idle conversation started between the others, but Clay was busy watching Tom and Katie.

Tom flashed her a smile.

Katie fluttered her eyelashes.

Tom's eyes roved up and down her body.

Katie licked her lips.

Tom licked his own lips.

It was like something off of the Discovery Channel and Clay nearly gagged. He glanced at Kit and saw a similarly disgusted look on her face. She caught him looking and sent him a familiar glare. Honestly, he was getting a bit tired of her predictability.

"Great. Because of you my roommate's going to catch some incurable STI," she whispered fiercely at him from across the table, trying not to be overheard.

"Well because of you _my_ roommate's going to get some super clingy girlfriend who will ruin poker nights!" He whispered back, just as quietly and angrily.

"Seriously? How lame can you guys be? Poker nights? Besides, Katie's not clingy and she certainly wouldn't waste her time dating anyone stupid enough to be friends with you!"

"It's not lame! 'Lame' is ridiculous girl nights with junk food and chick flicks and circling cute boys in magazines. It's just pathetic! Go out and get some from people as ugly as you and then you won't have to fantasize after guys who are totally out of your league!"

"Oh yeah? You can tell hot guys from ugly ones? Have you been using that skill when you populate your poker nights? It's all just beer, cards, and _sausages_ isn't it?"

Clay leapt to his feet. "I'm _not_ gay! Why does everyone keep saying that!" he shouted.

Kit struggled to keep her face impassive. "You know, my Uncle Irvine has a saying. The first time someone calls you a horse you punch him in the nose. The second time someone calls you a horse you call him a jerk. But the third time someone calls you a horse, well, maybe it's time to go shopping for a saddle."

At a loss for words, Clay just shouted, "You _annoying bitch,_" and lunged at her. Tom and Kivan caught his arms and struggled to hold him back. That was the last straw for Kit. She burst out laughing, and was clutching her sides from the pain of her hysterics until Liia smacked the back of her head, which shut her up fairly quickly.

Clay was shoved down into Kivan's seat. Tom glared at him. "You and Kivan are switching seats," he told him sternly. "And you are going to leave Kit alone! God, what is your problem with her anyways?" He didn't wait for an answer, even though he was sure Clay certainly had one at the tip of his tongue, before returning to his seat to continue his eye sex with Katie.

Liia leaned closer to Kit and hissed angrily in her ear, "Listen Kit, there are six hot guys at this table who are interested in hanging out with us. Please just keep your anger in check and your big mouth shut for _two seconds_ before you scare them off!" She turned away angrily.

Kit muttered, "Five," under her breath, but otherwise just leaned back sullenly in her chair.

Clay and Kit devoted themselves to being silent. Pointedly ignoring each other and the mating ritual between them, where Tom was currently feeding Katie fries, they even managed for a short amount of time. That was, until Harper suddenly spoke up, fingering the end of her long braid. "So you guys are in Kit's class, right? How do you find it? Kit says it's been super interesting so far."

All eyes turned to stare at Kit and she flushed red under their scrutiny. Clay chuckled at her embarrassment, but was fortunately out of her sight. She tripped over her words in her hurry to correct Harper. "No, I didn't say 'interesting', I said _easy_ it's been easy, that's all. I mean, I really haven't had to put much effort in, so it's been pretty good. You know, relaxing and stuff."

Cory raised an eyebrow at her. "Level 12 weaponry engineering is relaxing for you?"

Kit opened her mouth to respond, but with only the sound of Clay's smothered laughter in the background, she couldn't really come up with anything to say. Katie jumped in to rescue her. "For Kit, yeah," she laughed. "She's like a super genius or something. She's really smart naturally."

If possible, Kit's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "I'm not a super genius! Seriously! I just- well, I've got a lot of really talented family members. My parents and my uncles and aunts all teach me this stuff outside of class as well. They want me to be prepared because they're so paranoid after the war and stuff. So it's easier for me because I already know most of it."

Clay rolled his eyes at the other end of the table. "So basically," he began scathingly, "you're saying that you're not actually smart, but because your parents are famous, the instructors give you better grades?"

"Clay," Tom warned, but was cutting off by Kit, no longer embarrassed, but furious.

"No, I'm saying I put in extra work outside of class to get my grades. The fact that I have parents who want me to be able to defend myself does not make me 'favored'. It's because I work hard and put in effort that instructors like me."

"Uh huh," Clay rolled his eyes, "I'm sure it's all because of your 'hard work' and has nothing at all to do with the fact that you're _Kitiara Leonhart_ that every instructor wants to kiss your ass. You have nothing to do with your marks. You get special treatment because of your parents and then you come amongst us lowlifes to simultaneously gloat while pretending not to see it. You think you're better than us because of who you are and I'm sick of people tripping over themselves to help you while you go around and pretend like this is all your doing."

Kit leapt to her feet. "Yeah, you're totally right Riley. I'm sure the fact that you're failing has absolutely _nothing_ to do with you being a lazy, stupid, arrogant student and _everything_ to do with you being the orphan charity case of Garden!"

Clay was stunned. Everyone else at the table had their mouths gaping, staring at him. He briefly wondered how she could possibly know about his heritage, when he had told _no one_ and then remembered who she was… and where she lived. With all of the Garden's files.

Rage flooded him and he flew to his feet, lunging over the table to attack her. Food went flying and someone screamed. Clay and Kit landed in a tangle heap on the floor, fists flying, bodies rolling. They crashed into the neighboring table and sent it toppling over. The seeDs there leapt to their feet, crying out. One of the teens cast a fire spell and missed, exploding a hole in the wall. Their friends flew after them, screaming and struggling to separate them without getting a foot to the ribs or a fist to the face.

Suddenly, there was a giant bang, and Clay and Kit were at opposite ends of the room, both panting and glaring at each other. Clay had a black eye forming and was clutching his ribs. Kit had a bloody lip and was holding her wrist at an awkward angle. Between them stood Zell, looking so furious, every single person in the cafeteria shrunk back in fear.

He advanced on Clay, fists up. "_What the hell do you think you're doing_? This fight is over. Go and see the Commander now!" He raised his fist to point at the door but Kit quickly caught his arm from behind and pulled it down. He turned to her.

"Don't you dare Uncle Zell," she said fiercely, her hair disheveled and a glint in her eye.

"Sweetheart," he muttered gently, smoothing her hair, "you deserve better than this. Let me handle him."

But Kit was already shaking her head. "This is my battle, Uncle Zell, and I _will_ finish it myself."

He glanced slowly between her and Clay. Finally he sighed. "Fine," he told her, "but if your father asks, I was never here, alright?"

She nodded.

Zell turned and, with one last glare at Clay, left the room. Immediately, Clay and Kit turned to face each other again.

There was a heartbeat of stillness where everyone in the room held their collective breath.

This time, Kit made the first move. 

Hours later, Clay lay in his bed, glaring at the ceiling, wondering how he had gotten into this mess. He had two matching black eyes, three cracked ribs, a twisted ankle, and one of his eyebrows had been singed off. And yet, he was not laying in the warm infirmary, being gently cared for by Dr. Kadowaki's hot assistant, Dr. Jones. Instead he was on the hard dormitory mattresses with an uncaring and not attractive (whatever anyone said about his sexuality) Tom.

Eventually, all of the screaming had caused enough of a ruckus for Xu to come by and see what was going on. She quickly ended the fight and sent them both to the infirmary with a word. Once they got there, however, it had only taken a few minutes for the fighting to break out again with renewed vigor. Dr. Kadowaki decided only one of them could stay. And, being the biased bitch she was, she chose Kit. Sure, she _claimed_ it was because Kit's injuries were worse, but Clay knew the truth.

It was all because she was _Kitiara Leonhart_.

**Okay, I know I know, I'm two days late on this update! Don't kill me! I got some serious writer's block on this one. I rewrote the beginning three times. Painful. For those of you I haven't told, I am planning on updating every weekend. I have chemistry, calculus, and physics this semester so I really have no time to write on weekdays, but I should be able to take a couple hours on the weekend to get the next chapter done. Thank you for your patience and for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :). Kit and Clay are a blast to write!**

We're now up to SEVEN reviews on only three chapters! You guys are amazing! Please keep it up, I love hearing your thoughts and opinions on these wacky characters!


	5. A First for Everything

**AN: Sorry this is late. I haven't been able to log in on this site over the past couple of days :S. Has anyone else been having this problem?**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it. This is going to start getting tiresome...**

* * *

The months passed as spring gradually became summer. Clay wished he could say he had had hardly any contact with Kit during that time, really, he wished with all his heart that he could. And he was fairly certain she felt the same. Unfortunately, to say that would simply be a big fat lie.

For some reason, their friends seem to feel that the clear display of hatred that had occurred between the two in the cafeteria was a 'bonding experience'. Their friends took that fight as something that made them automatically friends of each other as well. Suddenly, the link between Kit and Clay was no longer needed as an excuse to speak because they now had a link of their own.

At first, it was to gossip over how insane the fight was. Then, it was to gossip over Clay and Kit's latest shenanigans. Eventually, it became to gossip because they were used to gossiping together. The two groups became one.

And, quite by accident and completely against their wills, Clay and Kit found themselves spending nearly all of their free time together.

Now, that's not to say that Clay hated Kit any less. And, judging by her actions, the feeling was mutual. Somehow, they found themselves fighting every time they saw each other. Whether it was at the movies where they fought over who got to hold the popcorn and who had to take the end seat, at dinner where they fought over who got to order first, at the dorms where they fought over who got to control the remote, or even in the car where they fought over who got to ride shotgun, they somehow managed to find _something_ to argue about no matter where they went.

Their friends eventually got used to it. After a couple of weeks it just became expected. Unless the fights became physical enough to have to contact Dr. Kadowaki, in which case they were forced to separate the two, they pretty much just learnt to ignore them. Over time, it became the norm.

Clay and Kit. Kit and Clay. One name was always followed by the other and preceded some story about X-argument where Y-object was destroyed.

And even though both members knew deep down that their social lives had been irrevocably changed by this arrangement, neither was willing to accept it without a fight.

And so it was that Clay found himself in his weaponry engineering class Thursday morning devoting 1% of his attention to Walrus' lecture on the pros and cons of various weapons and 99% of his attention to repeatedly shooting spitballs at the side of Kit's head. For her part, Kit was studiously ignoring him. She was spending 1% of her attention drawing some random doodle of a meadow of what looked like daisies and 99% of her attention pretending to be spending 100% of her attention on her drawing.

The spitballs really had no effect and Clay knew that. Kit had up a shield around her which, by now, he had been expecting. In fact, he had a similar shield around himself. You can only spend so much time with someone where things inevitably end up flying before you start taking precautions. Whenever he knew he was going to see her (which at this point, was basically all day every day) he put up a shield around himself and he knew she did the same. However, he was not bothered that his spitballs had no effect. He knew that she could feel them bouncing off her shield and, over time, that became very irritating.

He had just shot his two hundred and sixty second spitball at her when he saw her pencil press a little too hard against her paper. It was almost imperceptible, only the slightest difference in shading, but it made Clay break into a grin. There it was: the tiny crack in her façade, the first sign that she was going to snap from irritation. She was on the edge and he could practically smell the victory that came from pushing her buttons hard enough to get a reaction. He prepared the two hundred and sixty third spitball and set it in his makeshift straw, ready to shoot it and claim himself the victor when-

"Mr. Riley?"

Clay glared up at Walrus for the interruption and it was difficult to tell which of them was more irritated.

"_Yes_?" Walrus' scowl deepened. "Sorry, _yes sir_?"

"I asked a question, Mr. Riley, and I would like you to answer it please."

Clay groaned. Not again. How did he always get himself into the situations? He tried to focus on thinking of something reasonably intelligent to say but it wasn't easy when he could practically feel Kit's snickering beside him. "Umm… could you please repeat the question, sir?"

One of Walrus' eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "Weren't you listening the first time, Mr. Riley?"

Kit coughed next to him and Clay scowled, clearly hearing the laugh hidden within. He spoke slowly, considering his words. "Of course I was, sir; however, I feel like if I hear the question again it'll help trigger my ideas."

Walrus struggled to refrain from rolling his eyes at the obvious bullshit. Clay didn't even have to look at her to know that Kit hadn't even made an attempt to resist.

"I asked why anyone would choose to use nunchuks over a whip if they are both similar styles of fighting and a whip does significantly more damage."

Clay snorted. All of his carefully constructed politeness flew out the window as he said, "You would choose nunchuks if you were a naive little girl who thought they looked cute or if you were a homosexual guy who wanted a quick and easy way to show other men you were gay."

The entire class burst into laughter except for Kit who just rolled her eyes again and went back to her doodles.

"_Silence_!" Walrus shouted, and the class fell silent instantly. "That was extremely inappropriate and unnecessary, Mr. Riley. Next time you haven't been paying attention and don't know the answer to a question, please just say so and save all of us from having to listen to your idiocy."

Despite himself, Clay felt heat flood his cheeks and anger coursed through him red hot, mixed with a degree of embarrassment. The emotions only intensified when he heard Kit mutter beside him, "I've been preaching that same thing for months." He glared at her but she didn't look up from her drawing.

"Perhaps," Walrus began, his tone suddenly taking a 180 and becoming proud, "Kitiara can help make up for your lack of knowledge."

It was now Clay's turn to hide his laughter in a cough. He turned to Kit and crossed him arms, a smug look on his face. He knew perfectly well she hadn't been listening any more than he had, since he had watched her spend the entire period drawing while Walrus thought she was taking notes. Clay knew that today would finally be the day that Kit was thrown from her podium of perfection and he sent a mental thank you to Hyne for granting him a front row seat.

Kit didn't look up from her doodle; she didn't even pause in her shading. She opened her mouth and, in a tone as bored as if she were talking about the weather, said, "The main difference between the whip and nunchuks is strength and skill. Initially, no matter who you are, it is true that the whip will always do more damage. It takes little practice or natural ability or even coordination to be able to use and you will always get relatively large amounts of damage. As long as your strength increases, so will the damage inflicted by the whip. That is why it is the more commonly chosen weapon; it's easy to use, does a lot of damage, and all you have to do to improve is work out. However, what happens if there is someone who is naturally weaker?

"Some people, short women in particular, have a naturally lower strength and no matter how much they work out they cannot achieve a great amount of muscle. That means that, even though initially the whip will still do more damage for them than the nunchuks, they can never really increase that damage by any significant amount. The one advantage these people do have, however, is a low center of gravity. This means they'll have natural dexterity and balance. These skills will make mastering complex battle moves easy for them. Therefore, if they start training with the nunchuk, though they will initially do less damage, they will be able to rapidly improve with it by learning complex moves that do significantly more damage than they would ever be able to get with the simple, one move whip.

"For this reason, depending on your skills and body type, it can sometimes be advantageous long term to train with nunchuks, even though they initially seem worse."

There was a second of complete silence.

Clay gaped at her.

And then the class burst into applause.

"Oh wonderful, wonderful, Kitiara!" Walrus shouted over the noise. "That was a perfect example of an answer to an exam question. Which is extremely appropriate since, as you all will remember, your _final Cadet written exams_ will be coming up in only two weeks!" The bell rang, and Walrus raised his voice even higher to be heard over the ruckus. "Remember, in order to be eligible to participate in this year's seeD exam you must pass this exam and this Level of training! So everybody study hard and keep Kitiara's answer in your mind as an example!"

Clay gathered his books, giving Kit an incredulous look.

"What?" she asked him, unnerved by his uncharacteristic staring rather than glaring.

Clay paused and cocked his head to the side, examining her as one would a test subject giving you unexpected data. "All this time," he began slowly, thinking, "I thought that you were basically just a big keener," she rolled her eyes, "and that you got the grades you did as a combination of being a Leonhart and being a suck up who spends all her free time studying. But that's not true, is it?"

She averted her gaze, looking at her binder instead of him. When she spoke, her voice was carefully impassive. "What makes you say that? I just gave a 'keener' answer, didn't I?"

"Yes, but you didn't do it on purpose. You weren't paying any more attention than I was that whole class. I know. I watched you. All you did was draw. Yet, somehow, when we were both asked the same question, I had no idea and you gave a perfect answer. You didn't try. You didn't pay attention. You didn't even seem to particularly _care_ about getting it right. So how did you know the answer?"

She finally raised her eyes to his: her blue gaze holding his curious brown one. And in her eyes, Clay saw something that threw him completely off guard.

Honesty.

Her eyes were open and kind. There was no sarcasm, no anger, no backtalk. For a few seconds, Kit was going to be honest with him. For a few seconds, he saw her, Kitiara Leonhart, without the mask.

He faltered in surprise and her eyes instantly hardened again. The mask flew up and the sarcasm was back. "Natural genius, Riley. Really, you should look into it. Maybe there's a surgeon out there willing to try a brain transplant on you." She smirked at him and turned away, leaving the classroom without a glance back.

And yet, for the first time, Clay was not left infuriated by her remarks. He was not aching to follow and physically beat the attitude out of her. He was surprised that all he felt was shock and a strange sort of longing. His mind was reeling from what he had just seen but before he could make sense of it a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Mr. Riley, I was wondering if I could have a word?"

Clay turned around to find himself alone with Walrus, who did not look overly pleased about that situation. He shrugged, assuming he was going to be getting a detention for his cheek. "Sure Walter, what's up?"

Walrus' lips pursed, obviously aching to correct the name used, but for once he ignored it. Another first. And one that Clay felt did not bode well.

"You are aware, Mr. Riley, that you are currently failing this Level?"

Clay shrugged again. He so did not feel like discussing his marks right then.

Walrus did not seem to appreciate his lenient attitude. His face hardened and his tone became blunt. "You'll need to get an 85% on the final exam if you want to be able to pass and be eligible to take the seeD exam with your peers."

Clay's jaw dropped. "An 85? Are you kidding me? There's no way!"

Walrus was unsympathetic. "It is one thing to be able to act in a real battle, Mr. Riley, but it is another to have the background knowledge necessary to know you are making the correct decision."

Clay continued to gape at him and Walrus became angry. "Perhaps if you spent more time focused on your studies and less time giving smart ass responses, you wouldn't be in this mess."

Clay swallowed the anger that rose at the jab. He needed to be polite if he wanted to have any chance of improving this situation. "But Instructor Walter, I haven't gotten and 85% in any test all year. How can I possibly manage to get one on an exam that covers the material of all the tests?"

Walrus turned pointedly away and began stacking papers that Clay was fairly certain did not need to be stacked. "That's not my concern, Mr. Riley. You got yourself into this mess. If you're really ready to become a seeD, you should be responsible enough to be able to get yourself out. Otherwise we'll have the pleasure of each other's company for another year, won't we?"

Clay glared at him, feeling the anger rising. Sure, he knew he was a poor student. Could he try harder in class? Yes. But this man was being paid to teach him. He was being paid to help him pass. And _this_ attitude was not professional. No, this was a personal dislike for Clay manifesting itself into unfair actions. And that pissed Clay off.

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the classroom without another word, slamming the door closed behind him. But once he was outside, without an audience, the anger began to fade, to be replaced with desperation. This was going to be impossible.

He slid to the floor in front of the classroom door, feeling his eyes burning with a heat that he pretended wasn't there.

_He was never going to become a seeD._

* * *

**Aww :(. Poor Clay. Yes, I know he kind of brought it on himself, but I still feel a bit sorry for him. Anyone else feel the same? Or do you think he deserves what he got? After last chapter the votes seem to be pretty evenly divided between those who think Clay's at fault and those who think Kit is. Any changes now? Let me know! I love reading all of your opinions :).**

**A big thank you to Hidden By Shadow and redmangobliss95 for reviewing last chapter :). It means so much to know you guys are enjoying my story!**

**I'm sorry that this chapter was a bit lacking in action. Rest assured, next chapter will be a major turning point in the story. So stay tuned! And in the meantime, please review, my lovely readers :).**


	6. The One Thing He Never Thought He'd Do

_Last Chapter of Through Alcohol Cleansed Eyes:_

_Clay bugs Kit. Kit bugs Clay. Clay learns there's more to Kit than just a keener. Walrus tells Clay he'll fail unless he gets an 85% on his exam. Clay panics._

* * *

He could not believe he was doing this.

Clay paced back and forth in front of the door, unable to knock and unable to leave. He'd been treading this path in the floor for the past fifteen minutes trying to work up his courage and he knew the longer he waited the greater the chance he would be caught. He glanced at his watch. 9:15pm. Running his hand angrily through his hair, he turned abruptly to leave.

_You'll need to get an 85% on the final exam._

Clay cursed loudly and turned back to the door.

_I'm sure the fact that you're failing has absolutely nothing to do with you being a lazy, stupid, arrogant student._

His head fell into his hand in frustration as Walrus and Kit battled it out silently in his mind. Was his pride really worth failing?

Abruptly, without leaving himself time to second guess what he was doing, his hand shot out and knocked on the Hyne damned door in front of him. It stood ironically still and silent as he cringed in front of it, waiting for it to release all of the horrors he knew it hid.

He _really _could not believe he was doing this.

Panic hit and he spun to leave before it was too late when a faint _swoosh_ noise behind him signaled the door had opened. He froze and concentrated on being invisible. Oddly enough, it didn't work.

"Riley?" a shocked voice asked.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before plastering on a bright smile and turning around with a, "Hey Kitiara!"

Once he saw her, however, the words died on his lips and he was left gaping like a brain dead fish. She looked… well, she looked like the complete opposite of herself.

Her raven hair was haphazardly swept into a lose side ponytail, she had no jewelry on, and instead of her usual tight and sexy outfit, she was wearing red plaid pajama pants and an oversized black T-shirt full of holes from being overused. As she stood in the doorway her bare toes curled against her feet, trying to avoid the cold hallway floors.

Clay continued to gape, not because she looked bad or because he was in shock, but because she looked… _innocent_. And for some reason, that was strangely attractive to him. For the first time, he felt like he was seeing Kitiara Leonhart, and he was suddenly transported back two days ago when they shared that brief second of honesty.

"Umm… are you okay Riley?"

She was still staring at him. He was still gaping at her.

"Seriously, you don't look very good. Even for you." She tried to put her hand on his forehead but he brushed her off, her familiar sarcasm finally breaking the spell.

"I'm fine." He tried to tell her why he was there, but the words got stuck in his throat and all that came out was a strangled cough instead.

Her mildly confused look turned to that of someone suddenly thrust into an alternate universe. She glanced around and shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Umm… if you're looking for Katie, she's not here. She's out on a date with Tom, remember? If she comes back at all tonight, it probably won't be until super late. You're probably better off waiting for her in your room. Odds are she'll end up there first."

She moved to close the door and Clay's hand shot out, holding it open. She had given him the perfect Segway into his explanation and damn it, he was not letting it slip by.

"I know. That's why I came by now. I needed to talk to you when she wouldn't be here."

Kit's jaw dropped. "You wanted… to talk to _me_… alone?" Her mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed. "Okay, what's the punch line? Are the guys waiting around the corner filming this?" She leaned out to peer around the corner of the hallway when suddenly a thought seemed to occur to her and she swung back around to him. "Oh my God, did something happen? Is someone hurt? Is it my Father? I know that he was on a mission and- Oh my God let's go-" She tried to rush into the hallway but Clay caught her shoulder and pulled her back, a faintly amused smile on his face. Of course the only reason she could imagine him wanting to talk to her was in an emergency or as a prank.

"Breathe, Kitiara. It's fine. Nobody is dead. Nobody is filming you."

The confused look returned. "Then what did you want to talk about?"

His face heated and his throat seemed to tighten as he struggled to get the words out. "I just- I needed- I wanted to _ask_ you if-"

He took a deep breath.

She continued to stare at him blankly.

He glanced around to see if anyone was watching them, but the hallways were completely silent. He shoved her backwards into her room and followed her in quickly, before she could protest, hearing the door swoosh shut behind them.

"Hey!" The cry was indignant and loud, too loud for Clay's covert mission.

"Shh!" His hand clamped down over her mouth and he glared at her. "You do have neighbors, you know. Do you want every female cadet to know I'm in your room with you?"

She bit his hand and he drew back with a yelp. Her glare matched his and she swung her ponytail back over her shoulder. "No, I don't want anyone to think I would _ever_ allow you into my room. And the easiest way for me to achieve that would be if you _were not in my room_."

Clay looked at her, in her scruffy pajamas, hands on her hips, and a scowl that looked unlikely to ever be erased, and sighed. This was so not going like he imagined.

The fight drained from his body and he flopped down onto what, judging by the mess, had to be Katie's bed.

"Look Kititara, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here. Trust me, if I had a choice, I'd be out picking up chicks right now. But I don't have a choice. Because I need to ask you something. And it can't wait."

He gazed up at her with an exhausted look on his face and saw the tension drop from her shoulders. She sat down cross legged on her bed and faced him. "Alright. I'm listening. But you've only got _ten minutes_, okay? I'm busy."

That gave him pause. His eyes roved around the room, landing pointedly on her scruffy clothes and the pile of sweets on her bedside table. Immediately, the anger was back. "Not everybody needs alcohol to have fun you know, Riley. I'm _trying_ to enjoy some junk food, a good book, and quiet for once. And you're wasting your ten minutes."

He sat up and began to speak, looking anywhere but at her. "So, the other day, after class, Walrus took me aside and told me that I have to get an 85% on the final exam in order to pass the Level and be eligible to take the SeeD exam." He met her gaze with an intense one of his own. "I _have_ to pass, Kititara. I can't watch all of you go on and become SeeDs and go on mission after mission while I'm stuck in the classroom with Walrus for another year. I can't do it. I'm _going_ to get an 85%. Only…" He suddenly became very interested in his entwined hands, "I don't know how to do it. There's so much I need to learn in so little time and… I'm no good at studying. Or even planning _what_ to study."

He sneaked a glance at her and saw her watching him silently, her face impassive. But the fact that she didn't leap to the obvious merciless teasing that he'd clearly set himself up for gave him hope. Or maybe he just looked so pathetic she didn't have the heart to tear him to shreds.

"Why are you telling me this?" Her voice wasn't kind, but it wasn't mean either. He chose to see that as a good sign.

"I need your he-" The word caught in his throat and he tried to clear it. "I need your he- hel-"

He glanced at her, hoping that was close enough. But she still just stared at him, and he knew that he would have to get this out. Maybe he didn't look as pathetic as he thought. Or maybe she was just more heartless than he gave her credit for.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Your… help. I need your help."

Everything was silent for a moment. And then another. And another. Eventually, it was silent for so long that Clay peeked one eye open to gauge her reaction.

She was still staring at him, but now her face was torn and she was clearly having some deep internal battle. She seemed to be struggling to decide whether to slap him or burst into laughter. Neither outcome was exactly what he'd been hoping for. But she surprised him when she just closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, giving him a guarded look, and saying, "What did you want me to do?"

Hope swelled inside him like a balloon, but he shoved it back. She hadn't said yes yet. He practically tripped over his words in his hurry to get them out before she changed her mind and kicked him out.

"I need you to teach me the stuff I don't understand and help me memorize everything I need to know. I also need help learning _how_ to study- and plan out what to study when and all that. And I need to know how to properly set up an answer to a question, like you did on Thursday in Weaponry Engineering."

"So you need me to tutor you, basically." Her face and eyes were still closed off from him, hiding whatever emotion she was feeling.

"Yeah, I guess. I can pay you if you want…" But she was already shaking her head. He changed tactics. "Come on, it would just be for two weeks." He met her eyes. "Please, Kitiara."

Something in her shield cracked and he saw a softness leak into her eyes for a second before she blinked it away impatiently. She broke eye contact and reached into a basket next to her bed that he hadn't noticed before, scooping up the silent, sleeping dog within. She laid the canine on her lap and began to play with its ears for a minute, pointedly avoiding looking at him. But by now he knew her expressions well enough to tell by the set of her shoulders that she was tense, thinking hard. He waited, hardly daring to breathe and interrupt her.

Out of nowhere, the dog leapt up and jumped to the floor, while simultaneously her head flew up, so quickly it made Clay jump.

"Fine," she snapped, an irritated look on her face. "I'll help you." Clay opened his mouth to thank her, but before he could get even one syllable out she cut him off sharply. "But _only_ if you follow certain rules."

"Anything," he breathed, and meant it.

"One, you do what I say, when I say it, and you don't give me any attitude about it. Two, we only meet when our friends are busy and can't catch us. Three, _every_ time our friends are busy, no matter how much fun they're having without us, we will meet and we will _work_. Four, in public, we act like nothing has changed between us. And five, and this is the real clincher," she gave him a pointed look, "_nobody_ finds out about this _ever_. End of story, no exceptions."

"Oh yeah," he agreed fervently. "I don't think I'd ever be able to live this one down if the guys found out. Ditching them to get tutored by a _girl_?"

"You?" Her volume rose with her incredulity. "What about me? Could you imagine if the girls found out I'd been tutoring you secretly? I'd get nothing but, 'You _so_ like him,' for the rest of my life."

"So we're agreed?" He stood and held out his hand. She gave it a look like it might reach up and strangle her.

"You'll make your excuse and then come here with your books every time they're busy? And you'll actually work and be committed?"

He nodded.

She took a deep breath and stood for a moment, just breathing. And then she reached out and shook his hand.

"Deal."

* * *

**AN: Yes, it's been an obscenely long time since I've updated. I'd love to tell you guys I have some good excuse like my laptop crashed, but alas, I do not. What can I say? Sometimes, life just gets in the way. But I won't bore you all with the details of my life. I'm back now, and things have calmed down, so the updates should be regular again :). If anyone's still with this story (and I hope you are!) I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. What do we think of Clay and Kit's uneasy truce? Will it last? Will their friends find out? Will chaos ensue? Let me know your theories! Only Clay and Kit truly know what will happen; I'm just along for the ride. Those two do what they want!**

**Please review my lovelies, and rest assured that the updates will be regular again now!**


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